The Daily Grind
by Alexandra989
Summary: Avatar Korra is out there, with the new Team Avatar, fulfilling her Avatar duties. But what about the citizens as they go through every day life in Republic City, while Equalists are at large? The Daily Grind focuses on fictional citizens of Republic City, both benders and non-benders, with or against the Avatar, good or bad. SYOC open.
1. Application Form

**The Daily Grind: SYOC**

_Avatar Korra is out there, with the new Team Avatar, fulfilling her Avatar duties. But what about the citizens as they go through every day life in Republic City, while Equalists are at large? _

The Daily Grind focuses on fictional citizens of Republic City, both benders and non-benders, with or against the Avatar, good or bad. So here are the rules:

1) You must have an account to submit. And please leave your private messaging feature opened so it will be easier to contact you.

2) Please try to avoid creating Mary Sues and Gary Stus. Keep your characters believable.

3) Please fill in all the details in the submission form such as personality, description, etc. and try to follow the word count.

4) OCs cannot be related to any of the characters in the Legend of Korra. If you want them to be a metalbending officer or an Equalist, etc., they MIGHT interact with the characters (Chief Bei Fong, Amon, etc.)

5) Characters can be all of all ages, including students.

6) Characters NOT allowed: Airbenders (it has been clearly stated that Aang and his descendants are the last airbenders), characters with the ability to energybend (a task performed only by the Avatar himself).

7) Bloodbenders are allowed, for antagonists. Protagonists who can bloodbend will not display their ability because bloodbending is illegal in Republic City.

8) Firebenders with blue flames are not allowed as Azula and dragons were the only ones with access to that.

9) Sub-elements must correspond with main elements. Please don't create a character who is a waterbender but is able to metalbend.

10) Please do not create probenders at this stage. Later on in the story there will be a chance for your characters to be probenders.

11) All characters must be citizens (not royalty, councilmen, etc.). They may be rich, but not like Hiroshi Sato.

12) If your characters drive Satomobiles or like to dine at Kuang's Cuisine, do state it in the personality section.

13) Married/engaged/in a relationship characters are allowed, but their spouse/fiancé/fiancée/boyfriend/girlfriend's names are to be stated, and that's all. They will be rarely mentioned.

**Application: **

_General_

Name:

Nickname/s:

Age:

Gender:

Alma mater: (any of the schools in the Avatarverse, corresponding with bending skills and how they came to Republic City):

Occupation/Ambition:

Hobbies and Pastimes:

Grades: (for students only)

Status: (married, non-married, etc. please include necessary names)

_Powers and Skills_

Type of bender: (water, earth, fire or non-bender)

Skills: (metalbending, lightning generation, etc.)

Weapon (if applicable):

Attacks: (optional)

Defences: (optional)

Additional skills/powers/abilities: (no more than two)

_Appearance and Clothing_

Height: (imperial or metric measurement)

Body type: (shape and size; hourglass, pear, column, etc.)

Skin colour and quality:

Hair colour, style and texture:

Face shape:

Eye colour, size and shape:

Nose:

Lips:

Natural markings: (birthmarks, moles, etc.)

Unnatural markings: (scars, tattoos, etc.)

Everyday clothing style: (What they're comfortable and uncomfortable with wearing)

_Personality_

Basic personality: (at least 100 words)

Likes:

Dislikes:

Fears:

Flaws:

Best traits:

Introvert/Extrovert:

Bio and Relationships

Family: (just list close family members, and status)

How they came to Republic City (your character can be a descendant of a Yu Dao citizen):

Political views: (if they hate the Avatar, support Amon, support Chief Bei Fong, etc.)

People they tend to get along with:

People they tend to dislike:

People they tend to have a crush on:

People they find physically attractive:

How they interact with friends:

How they interact with crushes: (for non-married/engaged/in a relationship characters only)

How they interact with people they dislike:

How they interact to authority figures:

Any additional information:

_You may submit through reviews or PMs. _


	2. Small Talk

**Received Applications  
**

Naomi Rae by Makorra123

Charlotte Anala by Storm229

Haizi Lu by MadameCalypso

Sigil Saibhir by Irish Templar

Mari King by ManyTalentsD1

Reiko by LemonScratchPost

Aizen Shihōin by Silverstone007

Rai Kanda by BiggerGuilmonmon

Shui Yao by Paperman0

Senka by Lady Cougar-Trombone

Suki Iriguya by hiddensecret564

Danielle Howard by Emmyissweet

**I will keep updating this list if there are more OC submissions.**

* * *

Naomi fingered the wedding rings on the chain around her neck, her thoughts wandering off to her parents. She smiled slightly as sweet memories from her childhood came flooding back to her, memories which had been created before her mother's death. She stared at the page of the book she had been reading, her eyes fixed on those tiny printed words but her mind was worlds away. Well, perhaps not exactly worlds. It was just such an coincidence that the protagonist of the story shared the same experiences as she did.

She was snapped out of her reverie by a loud crash, which made her jump a little. She turned in the direction of the sound, which seemed to have come from her bedroom.

"Not that stupid mirror again," she hissed to herself, as she left the table. Her boots made soft thumping sounds on the wooden floor. The full-length mirror in her bedroom which she had purchased only days before and had fallen over once, was now lying on the floor. Naomi didn't need to turn it over to know it would have a few shards of glass missing. The last time it fell over, it had a huge crack, but she couldn't just throw it away; it had been pricey and it was the last one in that shop. Plus, it suited the color of her room.

She bent and lifted it up and back against the wall. Sure enough, a few large pieces of glass fell off, nearly landing on her toes. She couldn't help but glare at the piece of furniture.

"Why are you so clumsy?" she snapped at it. She could see only her own reflection, which sort of made her feel like she was talking to herself. As she stared at her own reflection, she became aware of her golden eyes, eyes everyone knew very well belonged to firebenders. Her forehead creased as she scowled.

"You are not a firebender," she said, sounding completely unconvincing. Naomi couldn't help but feel a little disgusted with herself. She could manipulate others but not herself? She wasn't even entirely sure who she was. Or was it that she didn't like who she was? The strength she felt in the presence of the sun and her weaknesses at night when the sun was down were hard to ignore. Her gaze traveled over to the large Equalist poster she had put up on the wall opposite her bed so it would be the first thing she saw each morning upon waking up. As a reminder that she hated benders.

But at that moment, it reminded her of only one thing: the probending match. Future Industries Fire Ferrets versus White Falls Wolf Bats, huh? Very interesting. A must-see for every probending fan. But Naomi was not interested at all in a game completely involving benders. Who would even pay to watch a trio of benders beat up another trio of benders? It made no sense. And some of them were so amateurish. She was sure she would win in an Agni Kai against any of the firebenders from any one of the probending teams.

She shook the thought out of her head. No such thing. She would lose in an Agni Kai. Why? Because she was not a firebender. She wouldn't even challenge anyone or be challenged.

But now, the Equalists had a new task which was to be executed that night. Naomi had not wanted to go in the first place; she didn't want to watch a miserable probending game. She had heard from the other Equalists about how the Wolf Bats were loaded with yuans and paid off the referees. Playing dirty. And claiming they were one of the best in the bending world. Naomi felt like she was going to puke at any moment, just thinking about it. Such people ought to be shunned and publicly disgraced.

But there were still hours to go. Enough time for a meal.

...

"Are you sure you want to help out today, Noodle?" asked Hua, her eyebrows raised. "I mean, there's the probending finals tonight and I thought you wanted to watch that. You're not worried you'll be too tired by then?"

Haizi shrugged. "Don't worry about me," she said, smiling slightly. "Anyway, it looks like you have more than your usual amount of customers today; you would definitely need a little help, don't you think?"

"I'm an earthbender. You think we give in to aches so easily?" Hua replied. "But, alright, help me out if you want to. Just don't keep grumbling and complaining when you can't get the recipes right. Your father is there, so ask..."

"Yes, yes, mom, I know," she said. "Look, I'll just go take some orders, okay?" With that, the 19- year old hurried off towards the young lady who had just entered, seated at a table in a corner on her own. She looked no older than Haizi herself, and the latter couldn't help but notice that she had seen her around before. A dark-haired girl often dressed in a black leather jacket, red top, crimson colored jeans, and black boots. She had golden eyes which moved continuously, as she surveyed her surroundings and Haizi couldn't help but notice a look of disgust on her face as she eyed a group of Metalbending officers who were having lunch at a table near hers. Haizi smiled as she spotted Reiko in the group.

"May I take your orders?" she asked, as she stopped by the table at which sat the golden-eyed girl. The latter merely pointed at something on the menu and laid it aside. "Anything else?" Golden-eyed girl shook her head.

Haizi was about to turn and hurry back to her mother when the girl spoke.

"You an earthbender?"

Haizi turned around, surprised. "No, but my mom is. As well as some of my siblings," she replied, a hint of pride in her voice. Golden-eyed girl nodded, and Haizi took it she was dismissed.

"Noodle! Can we have the moon peaches now?" asked Reiko, from her table. Haizi walked over, spotting the empty plates on the Metalbending police officers' table, which had previously held pan-fried noodles with crab puffs.

"Right! Just give me a minute!" Haizi responded as she collected the plates and dumped them into a pail at the back of the shop before informing her mother of the golden-eyed girl's orders as well as the moon peaches.

"They're over there," Hua said, indicating a round table behind her which held plates of food, most of them being leechi nuts. "And that's Naomi Rae. Really mysterious girl; rarely speaks to anyone, keeps to herself... and always wearing that slightly disgusted look on her face. No one knows what's going on in her mind. I found out who she was from a customer before."

"I bet she's a firebender. Just look at her eyes," Haizi replied, as she picked up the plate of moon peaches. "I don't like her."

"It's not good to judge someone by their looks. I thought you never did that," said Hua. "Anyway, she isn't a firebender, she's a non-bender. Those eyes must be genetic or something."

Haizi still could not brush off the feeling that Naomi Rae may be more than what she seemed. She dropped the moon peaches off at the Metalbenders' table and was about to walk off when Reiko grabbed her arm.

"Going to the match tonight, Noodle? I bet you wanna see Avatar Korra kick that Tahno's ass, don't you?"

"Of course," Haizi replied. "But not just to see that. You know I just want to see the finals. You will be there tonight, right?"

"Can't," said Reiko, slightly crestfallen. One of the Metalbending officers took out a folded copy of the Republic City Times and handed it to Haizi. "Amon threatened the council," Reiko explained. "He wanted the probending arena shut down. But of course, you know very well the Avatar wouldn't take that. She went to protest with Mako and Bolin and Chief Bei Fong turned up and supported them. I may be a big probending fan, but I think Chief Bei Fong took a wrong move this time."

Naomi smirked as she fingered her parents' wedding rings, listening in on the conversation.

"Why would you say so, Reiko?" said one of the officers. "Avatar Korra even stated, if the council closes the arena, Amon wins."

"I think he has a plan," Reiko responded. She turned back to Haizi. "Anyway, we will be on duty tonight, to keep the spectators safe in case there are any attacks from Amon and his wretched Equalists. And you should seriously get back to work."

...

As a waiter brought Naomi her meal and the conversation ended as Haizi Lu walked off, Naomi was still smirking. That Reiko girl was smart. But the other officers had absolutely no idea. Ah, how the world had evolved since Avatar Aang's time. Back then, Metalbenders weren't so dumb and weak. But according to history, two of Toph Bei Fong's (the former chief of police of Republic City) had been rather silly. One had been a 9-year old spoilt brat and the other a guy who just kept talking about doom. Being the some of the first metalbenders, almost everyone in Republic City revered them as much as they revered Toph Bei Fong, but Naomi just couldn't help wondering how they even got around to Metalbending in the end.

Naomi knew very well this place was run by benders and a majority of its patrons were benders but it was one of the best restaurants in Republic City, not just with good food but also its interior design, which seemed to bear designs from all four nations. Kuang's Cuisine was good as well, but it was just a little too far. Plus, it was a great place to pick up on some info, like what she had just overheard.

It was going to be an interesting night.

* * *

**So I introduced a few of the characters here and the story starts at around early Episode 6 (And the Winner Is...). The other characters will be introduced in the next chapter. Please review! (I hope you don't find my writing style boring; it lacks flowery sentences, doesn't it? :-P)**


	3. In the Arena

It was the final round of the Probending tournaments. Who wouldn't get excited over that? Charlotte Anala was, she had been a big fan of the Fire Ferrets ever since they started playing years back, when it was Mako, Bolin and Hasook. Avatar Korra was not a bad probender, but Charlotte had been almost sure she would lead the Fire Ferrets to defeat during her first match. But she had begun moving in weird circular patterns, neatly dodging every attack. Charlotte couldn't help but notice it resembled airbending a lot.

Charlotte brushed her wavy brown locks, which she had just washed and dried off with firebending. It was tricky, drying hair with firebending, but Charlotte had mastered it. Plus, it saved a lot of time. Not a day can go by without her washing her hair, even if it happened to snow heavily in Republic City or something.

Tonight, there was a probending match. Charlotte had originally not want to go, after hearing Amon's threat on the radio. She hated herself for it, but she had been living in fear ever since Amon appeared with his highly-skilled chi-blocker Equalists. Being a skilled firebender, she had trained a lot, ever since she was a little girl and had even begun to slowly master lightning generation, having her bending taken away was a true nightmare. She was not at the rally, but had heard about how Amon easily took away Lightning Bolt Zolt's firebending and it had scared her out of her wits. No doubt she disliked the Triple Threat Triads (who didn't, anyway?), but she cou;dn't help feeling sorry for the leader of the triad. And then there was Bolin. Thank the spirits the Avatar was there!

But there was nothing to worry about. There was going to be Metalbending officers looking out for the spectators' safety, an idea of Chief Bei Fong's. Charlotte thought that was a little weird. She had never known the esteemed chief of police to be a fan of probending or even of the Avatar, but then again, the conversation which had occurred in City Hall during the council's closed meeting was never fully revealed to the people. All she knew was that the chief had interrupted while the Fire Ferrets were protesting and Councilman Tarrlok was about to close the arena, and spoke up against the council's decision.

Charlotte donned her mother's traditional Fire Nation clothes and left the house, in a good mood. What harm can there possibly be in an arena heavily guarded by Metalbending police officers?

...

The thought of heading to the probending arena only made Aizen Shihōin laugh out loud and shudder at the same time. It was not that he disliked probending, in fact, he had been catching a whole lot of those matches before that firebender Mako made his appearance. Aizen didn't know Mako in person, but the latter was just a simple firebending athlete, like the other firebenders on the other probending teams, but he had half of Republic City's teen girls between the ages of 13 to 18 drooling and swooning over him. Just a regular firebender but everyone knows his name. The seed of jealousy had long since planted itself in the depths of Aizen's heart, for someone like Mako, he wanted to be.

But he was sure even after Avatar Korra had been reincarnated a hundred times, he would not have even achieved the slightest bit of anything like that.

Night was descending upon Republic City. It was Aizen's favourite time of the day. He had spent the entire day training and meditating and was feeling rather tired and sore. He worked as a chef at Kuang's Cuisine, but Kuang, the manager and head chef had declared the day as a holiday in honour of the probending finals for he was also an avid probending fan Grabbing the portable radio from his bedside table where it normally was, Aizen climbed up to the roof of his house, managing despite clutching an item in one of his hands, using his firebending once in a while to propel himself upwards. It was such a fortunate thing that firebending had also been improved, along with the world, and trained firebenders today were able to fly about like the airbenders on jets of fire unlike in the past, when the ability was only accessible during Sozin's Comet.

Aizen's house was a three-storey Earth Kingdom style building but with Fire Nation roofs and accents. Most of the houses in the residential parts of Republic City were built in such a way, as the place had once been an Earth Kingdom city under the reign of the Fire Nation. A former Fire Nation colony. From the rooftop, Aizen had a clear view of one side of the probending arena, the large golden building resembling city hall which would light up every time there was a probending match which was almost every night. It was a sight to behold, it looked like it had been built in gold. Aizen never failed to appreciate the architecture from his turf on the roof, though he usually ended up falling asleep up there.

Tonight, however, the view was slightly different. The probending arena was as bright as ever, even more so, as it was the night of the finals, but boats patrolling the bodies of water around the arena belonging to the Metalbending Police Force were present, and large flying tanks (or whatever they were called) dotted the skies, one of them bearing the golden logo of the Metalbending Chief of Police, which belonged to Chief Bei Fong. News about how the latter had defied the council's decision to shut the arena down after Amon threatened them had been bruited all over Republic City. No doubt she was in there at the moment, watching the match with that same serious expression she wore all the time. It was rare for anyone in the whole city to see Chief Bei Fong smile.

The presence of Metalbending cops and Mako participating in the finals kept Aizen away from the arena.

It was no big deal, however. The probending match would be broadcasted on the radio, with Shiro Shinobi commentating, and the sounds of the match in the background. Aizen could just close his eyes, the bright light from the arena filtering in a little through his eyelids, the cool night air ruffling his medium-length messy raven black hair and listen to the match on the radio, imagining himself in the stands.

He turned on the radio. There was a slight burst of static before Shiro Shinobi's voice could be heard, welcoming the two teams. The match was just beginning...

...

Nervousness was getting the better of Reiko. She couldn't shrug off the feeling that Amon might be up to something. He could be planning something, something big and almost the whole of Republic City was in the probending arena that night. The only thing comforting Reiko was the fact the Noodle, or Haizi, was seated a few rows below where Reiko had been assigned to. The Metalbending police officers were positioned at all the entrances of the arena.

Don't you worry, Reiko told herself. Remember what chief said. Our armor are impervious to the chi-blockers attacks. In fact, they would probably break a finger or two if they attempted to block the chi of the Metalbenders and encounter their tough armor.

There didn't seem to be any suspicious looking people. The arena was packed that night, and those who had not managed to get tickets were willing to stand just to watch the match. There was an air of anticipation and people were betting heavily which team would win that night. Reiko noticed avid fans and supporters dressed up like the probending athletes as well, when she stood at her post. A huge number of them had bought popcorn and were chatting and laughing among themselves. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Hiroshi Sato and his beautiful daughter Asami had turned up to, but they were in the VIP section of the stands, being the sponsors of the Future Industries Fire Ferrets, the team in which the Avatar was the waterbender. Councilman Tenzin was present, too, and stood beside Chief Bei Fong. As far as Reiko knew, they had been friends since they were both kids, with Tenzin being the Avatar's son and Lin, Toph Bei Fong, the Avatar's earthbending teacher's daughter and their ages being three years apart.

Another spectator entered through the entrance at which Reiko was guarding. The Metalbending officer recognised her. Charlotte Anala, or Char, as she is often addressed, the firebender, an aspiring probending athlete. The two had met several weeks before, when Charlotte had accidentally set a bush on fire in Republic City Park when she was training on her own. The first time Reiko had met her, she was convinced Charlotte was an arrogant, quick-tempered person, like all other firebenders were, but had been pleasantly surprised to discover that Charlotte was nothing of the sort. She was calm, but was quite the introvert. Reiko noticed how she observed people silently, and couldn't help thinking that she must be some sort of earth-fire hybrid. The two of them were only acquaintances, but they recognised each other and exchanged smiles. Charlotte had a degree of respect for authority figures including regular Metalbending cops like Reiko and it was that attitude which Reiko respected her for. She watched as Charlotte took a seat beside Noodle.

The match was just beginning. The first team, the Fire Ferrets made their entrance, waving at the yelling and cheering crowd. Reiko watched with a slight fascination on her face as a real fire ferret probably belonging to the probending brothers started doing tricks, one of which included jumping through an earthbending disk. The crowd applauded when it was over, but there was a distinct crescendo in the cheers and roars when the White Falls Wolf Bats made their appearance, howling. The fans were almost driven mad, and the haters who supported the Fire Ferrets were equally vocal, booing loudly.

And then the match began.

...

Naomi couldn't help but feel a little of the anticipation the audience was experiencing as well, but also a different sort of anticipation. Amon was going to make his appearance later. The other Equalists called it his 'probending debut', due to the fact this was his first time appearing in the probending arena. The good thing was that Amon had a good sense of humour, even though he rarely laughed. He didn't mind such remarks from the Equalists and could even agree with them at times. Naomi's gaze darted over to the VIP box. She spotted Hiroshi Sato and his daughter watching the match and smirked as she and the Equalists along with Amon knew exactly who Hiroshi Sato was, behind that friendly facade of his. He was really good at pretending, supporting the Avatar, sponsoring the Fire Ferrets and all. Naomi couldn't say the same for his daughter. She would like Asami if the latter had not been an avid-probending supporter which also meant that she supported bending despite being a non-bender. Asami would make a great Equalist, what with the martial arts lessons she used to take (according to Hiroshi), but Naomi knew she would never join the Equalists even though her mother had been killed by a firebender.

Shiro Shinobi was commentating fluently as usual. Naomi sometimes found his ability to commentate very odd and other-worldly. She almost felt sorry for her fellow Equalist who was to electrocute him later, for having to be in the presence of such a creepy person. Not much is known about Shiro Shinobi in Republic City.

"Tahno tries to clean the Avatar's clock with some dirty water boxing. Ming shakes off Mako's attack and returns the favor. Shaozu gets fancy, but Bolin ricochets a disk off the ropes and says 'No, thank you sir!'"

Seriously. Did they have probending rehearsals earlier or something?

Naomi was not exactly a probending fan, in fact she hated everything to do with bending and having to sit in those stands amidst people who worshipped the ground these probending athletes walked on was like a pure living nightmare, but she understood most of the probending rules. You don't need to be a genius in that field to know that the Wolf Bats were playing against all the rules. During an Equalist meeting a few days ago, Amon had revealed the secret of how the Wolf Bats managed to stay the champions for four consecutive years; they paid of the referees and get to sneak in fouls. Well, they actually didn't need to sneak those in, they could do it blatantly under the referees very noses and they would all just turn a blind eye. So typical of these benders. Shiro Shinobi, however, was voicing all their fouls, but in a most nonchalant manner like suddenly the rules had been removed for the Wolf Bats. Naomi found this highly amusing.

A tie. A coin toss. Avatar Korra versus that Tahno guy whom all the probending fans call the 'Hairbender'. Naomi couldn't count the number of times she had rolled her golden eyes at that nickname.

Naomi knew when the time came. She made her way out of her seat, along the row and towards the entrance/exit which was guarded by one of those Metalbending cops she had seen earlier at the restaurant. Called Reiko or something. Naomi used the 'I need to go to the bathroom' excuse to get out past Reiko, but stood in the darkness, waiting for the right moment to electrocute her.

**So, I tried to describe the environment more, what do you think? Thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows! Please review. **

** Yes, I know there are some characters I have not inserted yet, but they will soon be along!**


	4. Pickpockets and Homemakers

The streets were nearly deserted, but nowhere near dark, with the streetlamps on. All the Satomobiles on the streets were heading in only one direction; to the probending arena. Those who did not own a Satomobile or were not fans of probending stayed home and tuned in to the live broadcast of the probending tournament or merely went about their nightly routines.

Sigil Saibhir leaned against the statue of a young Prince Zuko in the Central City Station, watching the homeless kids play about from under his hood. Among them was Skoochy, a young street urchin he, Sigil, had taken a liking to. The boy was clever and cunning, roaming around the station and looking to pick the pockets of unsuspecting tourists by providing information for a yuan or two. Apparently, he was an earthbender. The two of them shared many things in common, except their ability to bend (Sigil was a non-bender) and their aim of acquiring money through 'high-risk trading'. Skoochy picked the pockets of and took bribes from tourists in exchange for information to sustain himself while Sigil robbed from the rich for his own benefits but did spared some for the poor.

Two men walked up, dressed in traditional Earth Kingdom clothes. The kids immediately stopped what they were doing and eyed these two new targets. Judging by the looks on their faces, they were definitely tourists from the Earth Kingdom and had probably lost their way. One started pointing up at the statue of Prince Zuko and talking rapidly to his companion while the latter shook his head and shrugged. They didn't seem to see Sigil despite the lighted lamps around the station, but then again, he was dressed in black leather armour. He turned and made eye contact with Skoochy who had appeared right beside him and the street urchin nodded once. He then walked out and presented himself to the Earth Kingdom tourists.

"Ugh, a street urchin," muttered one of them, eyeing Skoochy like he was a dangerous bug that had to be crushed. Sigil frowned beneath his hood. These tourists had to be rich, judging from their attire and their attitudes. Well, he would be doing them a favour by lightening their load.

"Perhaps he could help us," said the other Earth Kingdom tourist, casting quick glances around and spotting no one in sight except for a few passing Satomobiles. "Anyway, we might be running out of time." He turned to Skoochy rather reluctantly. "Young man, do you happen to know the way to the probending arena?"

Skoochy frowned slightly, looking as if he was thinking hard. "I might..." he began, before leaning in towards the tourists who almost jumped out of the way in disgust, casually rubbing his nose. "... but my memory is a little foggy. Perhaps you could... clear it up." He held out a beckoning hand.

The two tourists exchanged looks. "He wants money," said one tourist, disgusted. "Is this the nature of Republic City?"

"I think you'll find when you lose your way to the arena and the game ends... and the streets are full of people again," the street urchin replied, smirking, his arms crossed.

"We're wasting time with this boy. Just give him what he wants!" snapped the second tourist. The first tourist reluctantly reached into his pocket and there was a jingle of coins. Sigil knew this was his cue. He walked out from behind the statue, a slight distance away and made his way silently to the back of the tourists while they were occupied with sorting out the Earth Kingdom coins to Skoochy, who was demanding only yuans. Sigil reached slowly into the large pocket of the tourist and withdrew a few coins. He reached into the pocket of the second tourist and his fingers brushed a small bag. He drew it out and slowly, stealthily, replaced it with a bag of stones with about the same weight. The other street urchins had made their appearances and were distracting the tourists. Sigil tiptoed away.

"Here is your yuan!" The first tourist tossed a note into the Skoochy's outstretched hand. The boy winked.

"Now that's more like it," he said. He began giving directions to the arena, but stopping halfway to demand for more money, which was a norm. The disgruntled tourists reluctantly gave him another yuan and he gave them the complete directions. As soon as they were off, he scooted around to where Sigil had returned to, behind the statue of Prince Zuko.

"So, how much did you get?" The young earthbender's eyes were sparkling with delight and mischief. Sigil held out the handful of golden Earth Kingdom coins and with one of his daggers, he sliced open the bag revealing more coins and even wads of yuans. Skoochy's eyes widened.

"That selfish, blundering idiot!" seethed Sigil. "No doubt he told his companion he didn't have any yuans." Sigil reached in and took out a handful of yuans and handed them to Skoochy. "Here, boy, take these." A smile spread across the 12-year old's face.

"Thanks, man! I owe you one!" he exclaimed, before running off with the other kids with his newfound fortune. Sigil watched him go. As far as he knew, there had been a lack of people wanting information lately, and the boy had gone for days without proper food except stolen ones.

...

Slow, jazzy music filled the living room and Mari moved slowly to it as she cleaned the place, dusting and mopping, efficiently bending the clean and dirty water in and out of the pail. Just a little bit more of cleaning to do and she could finally relax and write that poem that had been on her mind since earlier that evening and had scribbled bits of it on a piece of paper. John, her husband, was out at the probending arena, being a huge fan of the sport, but Mari and her daughter, Nicole stayed home. Mari didn't fancy going anywhere with him anyway. He could be too obnoxious. The pair did not get along very well, though Mari tried her best for the sake of their daughter. Still, there were times when she couldn't stand being taken advantage of.

"Momma!"

Mari turned to see her 4-year old daughter Nicole run out from her room, almost slipping on the wet floor but Mari quickly bended the water beneath the toddler's feet and made her slip and slide a little. The toddler let out a squeal of delight as she slid to her mother's feet and was picked up.

"You're supposed to be in bed, darling," she said, gently.

"I had a bad dream," responded the girl, rubbing her eyes slightly before burying her face in her mother's shoulder. "Those tall guys covering their faces were taking you and daddy away." She began to sob silently.

"It was just a dream, sweetheart," Mari consoled, stroking Nicole's soft hair. "Nothing but a dream. Like your good fantasy dreams of fairies and castles in the clouds can never come true even if you wish for them to be, nightmares can't come true, too. Just be a brave girl and go back to sleep. Okay?"

"Okay," sobbed Nicole.

Mari lowered the toddler onto the floor and slid her to their bedroom as Nicole laughed delightedly. She entered the room to kiss and bid Nicole good night before exiting and resuming the cleaning.

There was a crackle and a burst of static as the jazz music was cut off and a part of the live probending broadcast started playing. Mari merely glared at the radio, taking a break from the cleaning. She expected the annoying voice of Shiro Shinobi to erupt from the speakers once more, but it didn't come. Someone else was speaking. Mari couldn't recognise it at first, but it caught on after a few sentences about benders and non-benders.

It was Amon.

** Sorry for the late update, school has been hellish, with a test coming next week and I've also begin working on my book. Thanks for being so patient and reading this! I hope you liked this chapter. Please review. Characters who have not made their appearances yet will do so in the following chapter(s).**


	5. The revolution has begun

Rai Kanda, or the Chuckling Reaper of Justice, the pseudonym he was better known by, knew better than to attack right then and there. He had decided to go for the probending match that night only because of Avatar Korra. After all, no one can deny the new Avatar was attractive. But then again, Rai found almost all Water Tribe girls to be attractive.

It was so obvious the woman beside him was an Equalist. Rai had not been absorbed in the game like the other spectators had been, having almost zero interest for the sport, and had just been studying Avatar Korra and the people around him. Metalbending police officers had been stationed around the arena, apparently to ensure the safety of the spectators, but the very thought made Rai roll his eyes. The Metalbending police had just too many restrictions to get anything done.

But there were other things to worry about. The Fire Ferrets had been knocked off the ring into the water, and the woman beside him had just silently pulled out an Equalist glove from her popcorn. Rai scowled slightly, pretending not to notice. Equalists. How he hated them. And Amon as well. The benders of Republic City had done nothing wrong, and the whole thing about benders ill-treating nonbenders was pure crap; Rai was sure of that as he had been around the city long enough. The benders were innocent, but the Equalists just had to attack them.

Perhaps they were just jealous. Rai had almost laughed out loud at the thought. Or perhaps life in Republic City with peace reigning was just getting too boring.

At that moment, the Chuckling Reaper of Justice could see an Equalist about to attack Chief Lin Bei Fong and before he could shout out a warning, the Equalist touched the chief of police and electrocuted her, much to the shock of spectators nearby.

...

Reiko heard the scream and recognised it only too well. "Chief!" she gasped, but before she could do anything or get another word out, Naomi stepped out of the darkness behind her and Reiko felt a gloved hand on her metal armour. The next thing she knew, sharp, painful, tingling sensations ran through her body when it could no longer stand the pain, her body crumpled to the floor and everything went black.

"Folks, there is some sort of electrical disturbance in the stands. Metalbender cops are dropping like bumbleflies. There appear to be masked members of the audience wielding strange devices on their hands. One of them is in the booth with me right now, folks! He is leveling one of those glove devices at me now and I believe he is about to electrocute me. I am currently wetting my pants."

Naomi smirked. Shiro Shinobi can commentate through anything. Whatever award that guy was supposed to get, he's got it.

Next part of the plan. The audience were on their feet now, racing for the exits, but Naomi and the Equalists were there to stop them. Equalists stood guard by the exits and entrances and Naomi leaped down from her previous post by the door to the front of the stands where she held out her gloved hand, silently threatening to electrocute any spectator who tried to escape. The match wasn't over yet. The main attraction had not made his appearance yet.

...

Charlotte was in shock, but she was not showing it, trying to stay as calm and collected as possible. When the spectators started screaming and yelling and running for the exits, Charlotte had stayed where she was, not wanting to act on impulse, but to actually think things through. And upon seeing how some of the spectators were electrocuted as they tried to escape, she thanked the spirits she had not moved from where she sat. An Equalist was already leveling his gloved hand at her and the spectators around her, daring them to leave their seats. And then, there was Amon. Charlotte kept her head on. Of course he would make his appearance. The probending match was the perfect place to make any new threats and death announcements. Charlotte's breathing grew slightly rapid and her heart thudded in her chest, as vivid images of her bending being taken away by that Equalist who stood only about a hundred metres away, coursed through her mind.

...

Sigil heard some sort of disturbance in the air and upon turning to look upwards, he spotted the Equalist airship above the probending arena. It was a distance away from the station, but he could see it quite clearly. To get a better view, he scaled the statue of Prince Zuko and watched. What were the Metalbending police officers doing? Oh, perhaps the Equalists took them out. Sigil positioned himself atop the statue to watch and see what was going to happen.

...

Haizi's eyes had gone very wide and her face very pale. Amon! But who else can she expect to make an appearance what with all these Equalists running around? She turned to see that Reiko had been electrocuted and was about to get up to help the Metalbending police officer when she found her way bared by an Equalist who was silently threatening to electrocute her should she move. She sat back down, glaring into the eyes of the Equalist. Golden eyes. They looked familiar, and it was this that kept Haizi staring into those eyes, even when they moved and scanned the spectators. Where had Haizi seen it before? She couldn't seem to remember.

And then it clicked.

"Naomi Rae!" she exclaimed, disbelievingly.

Naomi turned at the sound of her name and her eyes narrowed when she realised Haizi had recognised her, despite the veil she was wearing. She held out the glove even more, and Haizi backed away in her seat. The other spectators around her were too scared and preoccupied with their shock to even notice that she knew the Equalist that was guarding them. Haizi tore her gaze away from Naomi's and turned back to watch as Amon neatly took Tahno's bending away.

...

Aizen sat right up, almost sliding off the side of his roof. His eyes darted over to where the probending arena was, glowing a brilliant yellow in the night. There it was. The Equalist airship. Aizen's eyes widened as he heard all the screams and shouts occurring in the arena and looked over at the building, imagining the chaos that was happening. And there was Shiro Shinobi, still commentating on the situation. The Metalbenders were being electrocuted by the Equalists. One of them got Shiro Shinobi. And then the sounds could still be heard, the probending match was still being broadcasted live. It wasn't normal. It had to be the work of the Equalists. Somehow, Amon was going to make his appearance and he had something important (and definitely bender-deadly) to say.

...

Mari listened carefully, hanging on to every word Amon said, as though her life depended on it. "I believe I have your attention, benders of Republic City," came Amon's slightly raspy voice. Yes, I think you have, Mari couldn't help thinking, as she turned up her volume, hoping the sound wouldn't wake Nicole, as the line was slightly crackly. "So once again, the Wolfbats are your pro-bending champions. It seems fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory because every day, you threaten and abuse your fellow non-bending citizens just like the Wolfbats did to their opponents tonight." Agreed with the first part, disagreed with the second, Mari thought, scowling slightly. What did he know about the benders? After all, everyone knew Amon had only dealt with the nonbenders who had been bullied by certain irresponsible benders. "Let this be a warning to all of you benders out there: if any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate." Mari gasped, as her thoughts traveled to her daughter, herself, and surprisingly, her husband, as he was there, in the arena, actually seeing Amon for real, in the flesh.

"My followers and I will not rest until the entire city achieves equality, and once that goal is achieved, we will equalize the rest of the world." Mari shook her head in despair. Did Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko go through all that along with the other members of Team Avatar for this to happen?"

"The revolution has begun!"

** Sorry for the late update. I don't think this was a very good chapter, but I hope it was okay. :-P Please review. :-)**


	6. The Aftermath

The night's happenings at the probending arena had left almost every citizen in Republic City in shock. No one had expected the leader of the anti-bending revolution to make such a daring move. Fear grasped almost every bender in the city and forced them into their homes, not wanting to come out, for they feared they would run into one of those Equalists, who would probably take them to Amon, then they would be cleansed of their 'impurity'.

Shui Yao busied himself with his hobbies, like he did almost every day, basking in the solitude his house afforded. He was one of the many avid probending fans who had attended the match the previous night and was slightly shaken by this Amon guy, whom he had never heard of. Well, the anti-bending revolution had not exactly been really famous before this debut. Well, not precisely a debut, since they had had a rally earlier.

Shui flipped the page of the book he was currently reading. Reading had always been his passion, and at that moment, he was poring over a rather interesting book which featured the adventures of Avatar Aang and his friends with full-coloured illustrations. Shui was just finishing the chapter in which Zuko and Aang seek out the ancient Sun Warriors when there was a knock on the door.

Shui put down his book, slightly startled. He hadn't been expecting anyone that day, given the current situation in Republic City. A thought flashed in his mind. Could it be the Equalists? But that wasn't possible. Last he checked, he hadn't done anything wrong. Well, if it was them, he was ready to take them on, no matter how many of them were there, being a rather competent waterbender. Upon answering the door, he heaved an inaduble sigh of relief to see that it wasn't a group of Equalists waiting to electrocute him, but merely a good friend of his, a stay-at-home mom named Mari King, with her four-year old daughter, Nicole.

"Didn't expect to see you today, Mari," he greeted, holding the door opened as the lady entered. "Especially with all these talk about the anti-bending revolution."

"It is such a sad thing, don't you think?" Mari said. "After all Firelord Zuko and Avatar Aang went through to restore peace and balance, something like this must happen."

Mari and Shui Yao had been good friends since several years before, despite Mari being much of an introvert. Their passion for gardening had sparked their friendship.

"It is unavoidable, I suppose," Shui responded. "Anyway, we have an Avatar, right? Though she's not yet an accomplished one, I think, whenever there's an Avatar, there's hope. Why did you come here, anyway? It's pretty dangerous to move around, don't you think?"

Mari shrugged. "Well, John's out today, and I haven't seen you and your fire lilies for some time now. Are they still as beautiful?"

And the subject was changed immediately.

...

Reiko ripped apart the top of the crate with her metal cable, something she used to like doing, but at that moment, just like all the other metalbending cops, she was determined to find the mastermind between the Equalists' fancy gadgets. An unknown source had led them to Cabbage Corp. Reiko didn't really think Mr. Gan Long could've performed such a feat, as he was not really much of the sly and cunning type. And not very brainy either. But after the previous night's events, she knew better than to question Chief Bei Fong.

Reiko peered into the opened crate and let out a small, appalled gasp. The crates were filled to the brim with Equalist gloves. As she stood there, overcome by shock, she heard the ripping of more crates around her by her fellow metalbending cops, and their surprise at their discoveries. Reiko surveyed the crates and gloves and a realisation dawned on her: there was enough evidence to bury Cabbage Corp for an eternity. Did that mean, no more cabbages?

Mr. Gan Long was arrested, though he denied conspiring with the Equalists. Cabbage Corp was closed, as Reiko had expected.

"Reiko," said a voice.

The 24-year old metalbending police officer turned and saluted Chief Bei Fong. "Yes, chief?" she asked.

"We will be questioning spectators at yesterday's match. It is important we get information from different points of view. You will join me and Councilman Tenzin," Chief Bei Fong instructed.

"Yes, chief," Reiko responded, saluting once more, before returning to the airships. She couldn't help thinking that questioning the spectators would barely help in the ongoing investigations.

...

Naomi leaned against the wall, shrouded in the shadows, listening to her fellow Equalists yakking as usual. If the benders of Republic City could see and hear them at that moment, all Equalist dignity would be lost.

The plan had worked. It had been laid so carefully that no one, not even Chief Bei Fong, suspected anything. Everyone completely fell for the Cabbage Corp incident. Naomi had pretty surprised herself when she heard Hiroshi Sato had been the mastermind behind the Equalists' gloves, but it had been pretty obvious, as who else in Republic City, or even the whole world could invent such gadgets? Despite the planted evidence in Cabbage Corp, Naomi still thought the benders were so thick as they couldn't see through it at all. Mr. Gan Long, the creator of those gadgets? The very thought was laughable.

She watched with light amusement as her fellow Equalists flipped through the morning newspaper and laughing at the pictures of Chief Bei Fong, Cabbage Corp and Mr. Gan Long being arrested. Naomi wandered a short distance away, mulling things over in her mind. Apart from the gloves, Hiroshi Sato had invented another machine for the Equalists. She had heard it from one of the Equalists and at the word, 'machine', she somehow knew it wasn't going to be gloves or anything of the sort. It was something much, much more advanced, and might help them win the war. Whatever it was, it was beneath the Sato mansion.

"Naomi Rae."

Naomi jumped slightly, startled by the sudden voice. She turned and came face to face with Amon.

"Amon! But I thought you were with Mr. Sato?" she asked.

"Yes, but I came here to gather a few Equalists for a little... test drive tonight. Perhaps I could interest you in it?"

Naomi smiled devilishly. "Count me in!" she said. "Let's clear this city of benders for once and for all!"

"Very well. Go round up two more Equalists. You'll be needed at the Sato mansion tonight."

As the masked man stared into her amber eyes, Naomi's pulse quickened, and she hoped fear wasn't flooding her face as a thought coursed through her mind; _can he tell that I'm actually a firebender?_

Amon turned and walked off casually._  
_

**Sorry for the late update! School has been terrible, and I have a test next week... **

** Thanks for reading and please review! **


	7. Face-off

The streets of Republic City were swarming with people, though not as many as usual. Everyone, especially the benders, had been traumatized by the events of the previous night at the probending arena and at that moment, everyone was extra cautious, taking precautions and all of a sudden not trusting any of their non-bending friends for fear the latter may be with the Equalists. Amon's debut had disrupted many lives, including those of the thieves'.

Sigil Saibhir a.k.a the Red Fox waited as he usually did, for a target, though his patience was waning. Everyone was too alert. They seemed to be hurrying to their destinations, eager to get home as quickly as they could. The houses of the wealthy were all locked and bolted. If it wasn't for that, Sigil was convinced he could've struck gold, what with the police being overly-preoccupied with the whole Equalists and anti-bending revolution situation. Sigil wasn't in the least bit worried about the Equalists, as he was a non-bender. As much as he hated the police, Sigil couldn't help feeling sorry for the chief of police. He could only imagine what it was like to deal with situations such as the current one. For so many years, Republic City had been where benders and non-benders coexisted peacefully. The only time when trouble arose was about 30 to 40 years back when Yakone had tried to take over the city. Well, the Avatar settled that problem.

Sigil's thoughts wandered over to Skoochy. He had always like that boy, and now with the Equalists at large and Skoochy being an earthbender, the Red Fox couldn't help but feel a little worried. What would happen should the Equalists get their hands on him? His bending would be taken away, definitely, as the Equalists would probably consider theft as a way of abusing the nonbenders. As tough and cunning as the street urchin was, he was just a boy.

Sigil went about Republic City with zero success before the day began to darken. He returned to the station, where the street urchins hung out at night, thieving from unexpected passers-by. Skoochy seemed almost oblivious to everything that had been going on as he laughed, played and conspired with the other homeless kids, devising new tactics of stealing. Sigil walked up to them, feeling rather gloomy.

"Skoochy!"

The 12-year old boy turned at the sound of his name and grinned. "Got anything today?" he asked, in a low whisper.

Sigil shook his head, before producing a yuan note. "Found this on the ground, so it doesn't really count, does it? It wasn't easy today."

"I know," Skoochy replied. "No one trusts anyone anymore. Especially not us street urchins. And everyone's being really, really cautious, plus the police is always constantly patrolling the city for any signs of Equalist activity. You know, we could rake in a lot if they stay preoccupied like that always."

"Yeah, the bad thing is that the people are preoccupied as well," Sigil said, before turning in the direction of the probending arena. That was when he caught sight of a possible target.

"Skoochy." He nudged the boy. "Do you see what I see?"

Skoochy frowned. "No!" the boy warned, in an undertone. "That's Aizen Shihōin, one of the chefs at Kuang's Cuisine. He may not look like it, but he's a pretty good fighter. Apparently, he's interested in joining the United Forces under General Iroh, Firelord Zuko's grandson."

"You really do know a lot of things, young one," the Red Fox responded. "But he's a chef. It wouldn't be too hard to take him down, don't you think? I think he could spare us something."

...

The Harmony Tower. That was where Aizen went almost every night, if it wasn't his roof. And at that moment, a trip to the tower felt really important, with the recent Equalist attack on the probending arena, to contemplate on how Avatar Aang defeated the Firelord, one of the most powerful firebenders in his time, and pray to the spirits Avatar Korra might live up to the title of Avatar and defeat this anti-bending guy and restore peace once more. Given the current situation, there wouldn't be many visitors on that tower that night.

Aizen walked past the Central City Station, glancing for a moment at the statue of Prince Zuko. It was pretty hard not to notice, with the bright flame burning and all. He didn't fail to notice the street urchins parading around either, always looking out for unsuspecting victims. So far, Aizen had never been a victim of theft, definitely not with those street urchins, and he was quite confident they knew better than to attack him. Skoochy, the head of the street urchins knew more about him than his chef occupation, and he would've definitely spread the word. Either that or they had devised a way to rob him. Aizen remained unfazed, for he was quite confident he could beat them and teach them a lesson.

So of course, he wasn't expecting it when he heard soft footsteps behind him. As quickly as he could, he drew out his Jian sword and swung it around, its point facing whoever it was who had tried to sneak up on him. Aizen could see, by the light of Prince Zuko's flame, that it was a teenager , shorter than him, dressed in black, almost blending into the darkness, and noticing the Jian sword, had taken his stance.

"What are you trying to do?" Aizen asked. "Attempting to mug me?"

Aizen saw a smirk forming beneath the black hood as the teenager replied, "Not at all. We've decided to recruit you for our probending team." With that, the teenager lunged forwards, attempting to knock Aizen's sword out of his hand, but the firebender was faster as he elbowed the boy, who stumbled. It wasn't easy to see in the dark, so Aizen didn't see the boy straightening himself before charging towards him and stamping hard on his foot. Aizen let out a shout, before brandishing his sword at his opponent, feeling it make contact with something that wasn't air and hearing the teenage boy growl. All of a sudden, Aizen heard the familiar sounds of flying daggers and instantly leaped out of the way as the knives went flying past him, clattering to the ground behind him. One grazed his cheek and he leaped forwards before firebending in the direction of the teenage boy. By the brief light of his fire, he noticed that the boy was already at his side, and in his hands, smoke bombs. Aizen sent another ball of fire at the boy, who dodged, and leaped over the next attack and continued dodging the rest of Aizen's attacks. Aizen's plan was to keep him occupied with dodging to prevent him from releasing the smoke bombs, but before Aizen could firebend again, a cloud of smoke rose up, choking him. If only firebenders could smoke bend! Aizen leaped upwards, using a jet of flame to power him up and out of the cloud of smoke and and did a few mid-air kicks, sending jets of fire downwards. The teenage boy rolled and dodged them, before sending another wave of daggers upwards, a few of them managing to injure Aizen, though not severely. As the firebender landed, he noticed that the teenage boy was panting slightly. He must be tired out, Aizen thought. He firebent one more time, before a shout rang out.

"Red Fox!"

...

Aizen and Sigil turned and both scowled upon seeing a five feet four figure running towards them, dressed in a red court jester outfit and a skull mask. Rai Kanda was acutely aware of the fact that Aizen and Sigil were both taller than he was, but he didn't cower. He recognised Sigil Saibhir as the mastermind behind most of the robberies that took place in the districts of Republic City where the rich dwelled. All of a sudden, Sigil threw back his head (and his hood) and laughed.

"Look who escaped from the circus! The Chuckling Reaper of Justice! Are your chuckling days finally over?"

"He was just trying to mug me. I'm taking him down and turning him in. He could be an Equalist," Aizen said, before turning and firebending once more. Sigil was a little unprepared, and didn't manage to leap out of the way in time, and Aizen's fire left a burn on his hand. He growled in pain before releasing another smoke bomb.

"I'm with you," Rai said. "I've been hunting him for too long!" Often, Rai would only wait for nightfall and a right time to attack those whom he wanted to take down, but at that moment, Sigil was attempting to hurt someone innocent, and Rai couldn't just watch.

Rai and Aizen ran round the cloud of smoke, but when they got to the other side, Sigil was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, they felt themselves lifted and thrown forwards as the ground beneath them shot up. The firebenders shot a jet of flame down towards the ground as the momentum carried them forwards, helping them land on their feet. Daggers flew in their direction, which Rai dodged while Aizen deflected with his sword. There was a bright flash of light as Rai generated lightning and shot it straight in the direction of the daggers. In the darkness, they could make out the figure of Sigil leaping out of the way before sending another wave of daggers. Rai ran in his direction, dodging the daggers, getting closer and closer to the 17-year old thief. Another bolt of lightning which missed. Rai didn't think it mattered. All that leaping and dodging was definitely going to tire out the little wimp, that was for sure. If only he could get close enough to chi-block him.

Sigil turned and ran, but straight into Aizen, who had hurried to the back of him, to prevent him from running off. "Two against one, now that's a really fair match!" Sigil snapped, before releasing more smoke bombs. Rai sent another lightning bolt through the cloud of smoke. A mighty crash resounded, and Rai was stunned for a moment, as he realised he might've destroyed some city property.

"Stop!" a commanding voice spoke. The familiar clinking sounds alerted Rai that the Metalbending police were close by. Rai rolled his eyes. They had to show up, didn't they? Then he remembered the crash. Whoops.

Rai ignored the police and leaped above the smoke with firebending before landing on the other side, behind Sigil, who turned momentarily. Rai took advantage of that moment and shot a bolt of lightning at him which successfully paralyzed the thief. Rai stopped beside the Red Fox, who lay on the ground, unable to move. There was no need for chi-blocking.

"Looks like your mugging days are over, Red Fox," said Rai. That was when metal cables wound themselves round his wrist.

**Sorry for the late update! Seriously hope this chapter was okay. Thanks for reading and please review.**

** If you think some of the OCs do not show up often, unlike others, do let me know! (Thanks, BiggerGuilmonmon!)**


	8. Plummeting

Reiko sighed as she went over the criminal's profile. A whole new day and back to work. She didn't really hate working, in fact, Reiko was known amongst her friends as a workaholic. Such a trait lived in her as she was constantly working to earn her keep and at the same time, she enjoys the action her job brings, and of course, she didn't really have anything else better to do to pass her time besides her other hobbies. Life was a mundane cycle that Reiko, her fellow co-workers and basically everyone in the world, had come to accept.

Despite their latest achievement, the Metalbending police were far from rejoicing. They had finally caught the notorious 'Red Fox' whose real name was Sigil Saibhir, Reiko observed, on the profile. At least that was one criminal down. And how many more to go? Oh, yeah. A whole squad of Equalists. The atmosphere was incredibly tensed at that moment at the Headquarters and every cop had extra duty. Mr. Gan Long was still under arrest and had been threatening to sue the police force after he was done with shouts of "My cabbages!". However, Reiko got wind that morning when she arrived that the old man had been released. Or it could've been just a rumour.

Just then, the door of the room opened and a fellow Metalbending cop entered, looking hot and flustered. Reiko raised an eyebrow. It was rare to see any member of the police force like that; they had been trained to stay calm and think straight in the face of danger. Usually, until they get electrocuted.

"What happened?" Reiko asked, not showing much interest.

"You'd never... guess... what happened," the officer panted.

"Don't you think that's pretty much why I just asked what happened?" Reiko turned to her co-worker. "What has happened that couldn't be worse than our current situation?"

The officer was finally able to catch his breath. "A group of us were sent out earlier... I mean, last night. Apparently, the chief and Councilman Tenzin got this piece of news from Avatar Korra. It concerns Hiroshi Sato."

That sparked Reiko's interest. "Hiroshi Sato? And wait, last night? There was a raid? Why didn't chief send for me?" Reiko remembered the previous night when she hadn't been able to sleep, her mind was constantly harping on the Equalists, and she had finally gave up trying and got some training done, which rendered her fatigued enough to be able to get a few hours of sleep.

"Well, chief thought you had enough for the day, so she didn't send for you," the officer responded. "Never mind that, back to Hiroshi Sato... well, he's the mastermind behind the Equalists' gadgets, not Mr. Gan Long."

Reiko was too stunned to say a word. She merely stared at the cop for a few moments, unable to speak. "What? But... but how? I mean, why?" she finally uttered, confused. Hiroshi Sato? The owner of Future Industries? It did make sense, but it also didn't. It was possible that Hiroshi Sato could've invented all those gadgets, which were nothing compared to Satomobiles. But he didn't seem like that sort of person! Just the other day he was at the Headquarters, relating what he witnessed when the Equalists attacked the probending arena. Reiko shook her head. The officer wouldn't lie. She had been working with the Metalbending police force for quite some time, and she knew that most criminals were first-rate actors.

"That's not the end," continued the officer, after he allowed the information to sink in. Reiko looked up and gave him a withering look. "There was a fight yesterday. Asami Sato turned against her father at the last minute. Bit of luck, that was. But a few of the cops were taken to Amon."

Reiko dropped Sigil Saibhir's profile in shock. "Good thing you weren't there, won't you say now, Reiko?" said the officer. "Only a few of them, but it's considered a great loss, especially in these dire times. Chief Saikhan said so."

"Chief Saikhan?" Reiko asked, something horrid forming in her mind, hoping 'Chief Saikhan' was just a slip of the tongue on the officer's part.

"Chief Bei Fong resigned."

#

Haizi gazed around the half-empty restaurant, miserably. The latest news had practically scared all citizens of Republic City into hiding. Not many benders dared venture further than their own doorstep, terrified of running into an Equalist, who could just chi-block them in a minute and without hesitation before shipping them off to Amon. For a long time, everyone had trusted Chief Bei Fong and looked up to her capabilities, as much as they had done with the previous chief, Toph, but not many trusted Chief Saikhan. Some who had had encounters with the aforementioned police officer didn't even like him. The Metalbending force wasn't the same without a Bei Fong, and the people had lost confidence in the police to protect them and took their own safety measures. Haizi's mother, being an earthbender, had even once decided to close down the restaurant till the war was over, but she wouldn't hear anything of it, and neither would her father. Hua was outnumbered two to one, so the restaurant stayed open.

Haizi walked to the kitchen, where her father was sitting on a chair in a corner, idling. The kitchen seemed so clean for once, without ingredients strewn all over the counters and the cutlery in various places. There was no smoke, no aroma, and the place was almost empty, save for Yonggan and another chef, who was as idle as Haizi's father. The latter gave her a weak smile as she entered the kitchen.

"Ah, Noodle. Are you hungry?" He got to his feet. "Would you like a bowl of noodles? At least it would give me something to do."

Haizi glanced around. "Where are the others?"

"They're afraid of the outdoors," Yonggan answered his daughter, sitting down again as Haizi shook her head at his offer. "Ironic, isn't it? Half of them are earthbenders and waterbenders."

"Maybe that's why they're staying indoors," Haizi said. "They're benders, so they're afraid of the Equalists." She sat down beside her father. "How long do you think this war will last?"

"Longer than it originally would, now that the chief's stepped down and they've put that useless Saikhan in her place. I mean, what does he actually know?"

Haizi stifled a giggle as she remembered that her father had once had an argument with Saikhan, in which Saikhan was actually wrong, but had kept insisting he was right. However, Haizi thought he was fine. So long as he protected the citizens of Republic City.

Yonggan began reading a copy of the newspaper. "Hey, check this out. Says here they managed to finally capture the Red Fox, Sigil Saibhir. This would originally be great news to me, but considering the current situation, what in the spirits' name are they doing hunting gown petty thieves? They've got bigger things to worry about!"

"I wouldn't call Sigil Saibhir a petty thief, dad," Haizi said, with a shudder. "But they probably got a report or something, or maybe someone else managed to apprehend him and turned him in to the police."

As Haizi left the kitchen, she noticed two potential customers enter, chatting. She recognised one of them, Shui Yao. He was not exactly a regular at the restaurant, but he had came enough times for Haizi to know him. From what she knew, he was nineteen and a waterbender. Wasn't he afraid, then? He usually sat and preferred to be alone, but at that time, he had brought along a friend, a woman Haizi didn't recognise, and her daughter, who seemed to be in her toddler years. For a moment, something tugged at Haizi's heart. Such a young child, innocent, probably a bender, and having to live among such conflict. Her mother seemed to be at ease, though. Perhaps they weren't benders.

Haizi went up to them and Shui Yao recognised her. "Hello there," he greeted. He noticed Haizi's gaze flicker over to the woman accompanying him. "Well, allow me to introduce Mari King, a friend of mine." He turned to the lady. "Mari, this is Haizi Lu, or as I've so often heard her father address her, Noodle."

Haizi laughed. "Nice to meet you," she said, as she shook hands with Mari King. It was custom for Haizi to interact as such with the customers, from whom she gathered information about the outside world, apart from newspapers and radio broadcasts, as she rarely went out, as there was much to do in the restaurant. Despite fewer customers, her parents disallowed her from wandering the streets. Haizi didn't think it was wise, either, since she wasn't much of a fighter. "Are you a bender?" she couldn't help asking Mari.

Mari smiled and nodded. "Yes, a waterbender. And so is my daughter, Nicole." The lady gestured at the little girl.

"You're not afraid of the Equalists?" Haizi asked.

Shui Yao and Mari exchanged glances. "There's really nothing to be afraid of," said Mari. "The Equalists don't attack benders for nothing. Besides, they've got better things to do." Mari's confident countenance changed to one of worry. "However, I think there might be a real all-out war very soon. That would be terrible, after everything Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko did to bring peace..."

Haizi took their orders and brought it to the kitchen before returning and taking a seat at the table, looking out for her mother, for the latter didn't really approve of her hanging out with customers.

"I can't believe Chief Bei Fong resigned. What's going to happen to the police force now without a good leader? We can only hope that this Saikhan is up to the Bei Fongs' standards," Mari remarked.

"Yeah, it's pretty hard to believe. I used to like and respect, even worship her a lot, but I'm not so sure now," said Haizi, who didn't like people who gave up easily.

"There has been some speculation," Shui Yao said, as the drinks (watermelon juice) arrived, served by Haizi's brother, Ye, who gave his sister a look as she was not working when she was supposed to. "Some say that the chief resigned because she could take it no longer. People who believe this are terribly disappointed by her actions, of course, but there is also something else. Something that sounds much more likely to be the real case. Some are saying that Lin gave up her job so she could go after Amon and defeat him, in her own way, meaning that she doesn't have to submit to the law."

"That sounds more likely," Haizi agreed. "It sounds more... Bei Fong."

Mari glanced at her daughter who was making small fountains in her mother's watermelon juice and entertaining herself. She sighed. "I can only hope that the real war stays away for as long as possible.

#

Sigil smirked to himself. You can never have too many friends.

If it wasn't for the shadow that fell over the cell as the figure passed outside the window, none would've heard her. Sigil got to his feet and tried to stay as calm as possible. He walked towards the bars where two Metalbending cops were guarding outside. They wouldn't even assign regular prison guards. He had gotten himself a special cell, isolated and well-guarded as they had been hunting him for some time. Sigil remembered the last time he was caught; he had managed to escape with words.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Sigil said, through the bars at the cops, who turned their heads a slight bit. It was obvious they were distracted, Sigil thought, and couldn't help wondering what had gone on that distracted them.

"No tricks or you'll regret it," snapped the first police officer, on the left.

"Aw, I just wanted to ask you a question," he said. "What's going on out there?"

"That's really none of your business," said the second cop.

"Well, you don't allow me to read the Republic City Times, so perhaps you could be my window to the outside world," Sigil went on. "What's got you all looking so distracted?"

The police officer whirled around and glared at the Red Fox, no longer able to stand the 17- year old non-bender. "Shut up. You don't want to be gagged, do you? We're already being very kind." With that, he turned back to face the front.

"Fine." Sigil turned and was about to return to the single bed in the cell where he spent most of his time if he wasn't training. "I miss the days when I was the best Equalist Amon ever had." He sighed.

The second cop turned. "What do you mean you were an Equalist?" he growled. "You didn't say nothing about that when we questioned you."

"One does not simply announce to people, especially the police, that one is an Equalist," said Sigil, simply. "I was one of the best, man, you should've seen me. I was almost promoted to the post of Lieutenant, but that guy got it instead."

The cop turned back to face the front.

"You know, I still haven't gotten over my anger towards Amon for kicking me off the team of Equalists just because I complained about not being promoted to Lieutenant."

"Serves you right."

"That's why I want to help you bring him down. I know a lot about his plans and defenses, more than you do," Sigil said.

The two cops exchanged glances. "Lies, all lies," one muttered and both turned to face the front once more.

"I can tell you who invented the Equalist gadgets! Hiroshi Sato did! I'm not kidding!" Sigil exclaimed. Of course he knew it was Hiroshi Sato, he overheard the cops' conversation just that morning, when they thought he was fast asleep. "That's actually why I'm so eager for news; I wanna know if he's been captured yet!"

The two cops turned slightly. "What else do you know?"

Sigil looked as if he was trying hard to remember. "Ah yes, a new type of weapon, though when I left the Equalists, the plan was only in its infancy, but I saw the original sketches. Large, tall robots, real killing machines they are! All sorts of weapons like lightning, and so on and so forth..." This information was from the Republic City Times the cops had been reading that morning outside his cell and the Red Fox had seen the article. "Have they unleashed those yet? Oh spirits, imagine the havoc they would wreck on Republic City!"

The two cops finally turned completely and glared at Sigil. "Tell us everything that you know, or be ready to face a fate worse than your current one!" threatened one of the cops.

Sigil continued relating stuff, what he knew, heard, saw and most of it were lies. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dark figure drop silently to the ground and maneuvered the keys of Sigil's cell off the cop's uniform as the Red Fox kept them intrigued with lies, all of which were hurriedly scribbled in a notebook. The figure made it away with the keys and neither cop noticed. Sigil was surprised to see how tensed and distracted all of them were. Was the whole Equalist thing really making such a huge impact on the people, or was it just the police? Sigil had never really cared much about the Equalists, though he did follow up on some news and overhear people talking, especially the rich ones. He had even overheard Hiroshi Sato masterminding with Equalists over the phone once, when he had sneaked in to the Sato mansion to steal, but that was quite a period of time ago, even before Avatar Korra came to Republic City.

Once Sigil was finished, one of the cops hurried off to deliver the information to the chief, leaving only one cop behind to guard Sigil's cell. The Red Fox slowly climbed onto the bed and peered out the single window of the cell, where a bunch of metal keys hung and a smoke bomb. Sigil retrieved them and crept to the bars, where he released the smoke bomb.

The cop gave a shout, but the thick smoke was clouding his vision. Sigil jammed the key into the lock, successfully unlocking it. He hurried out, scampered down the corridor, meeting prison guards on the way, but he merely avoided their attacks and when he got close enough, stomps to the feet or he merely kicked them wherever he could. He had had to relinquish his weapons upon his arrival at the Headquarters. They chased him and tried to cut him off, and Sigil knew they knew his weakness; he could not fight for too long. And since he was unarmed...

Several water whips from an unknown source sent a few guards backwards. Sigil took the opportunity and sprinted down the corridor, heading for the emergency exit. He finally dashed out into the bright sunlight and ducked behind a bush a distance away where he stayed hidden. The guards and the cop hurried out and began combing the area for him, but assumed that he had ran off. It did occur to one of the guards to check the bushes, but it was dismissed as a waste of time.

"That wretched boy must've run off and hid himself. He wouldn't risk the bushes, I'm sure," said the cop. "You know, I was actually hoping he would make an escape of his own."

The guards stared at the cop incredulously. Sigil pricked up his ears.

"There were too many of us guarding him. And whatever for? There are so many criminals around Republic City. Right now, we have more important things to focus on, don't you think? Chief Saikhan needs as many as he can get to handle this Equalist situation..."

That had not been mentioned. Sigil was stunned for a moment. What happened to Chief Bei Fong? Despite his criminal career, Sigil actually liked Chief Bei Fong.

"Red Fox."

Sigil turned at the mention of his nickname. A distinct and familiar smell tickled his nostrils. Upon seeing who it was, he smiled. "You used waterbending."

"Yes, and you know I hardly ever use it. So where's my 'thank you'?"

Sigil laughed. "Thank you, Shadow Child."

** Sorry for the late update! I was running out of ideas and studying for an upcoming examination... **

** To Lilly: Are you submitting your OC to this story? And also, I think your idea is nice, but I don't think I have time for another fanfiction right now (I can't even churn out frequent updates for this one!). I'm really sorry. Perhaps you should create an account and write it, I'll definitely read it!**


	9. Hungry For Action

**A tiny bit of spoilers from the Search: Part 2.**

Charlotte poked her head out of the window of the ship, admiring the view, feeling a sense of exhilaration. She was finally going to the place of her dreams! For so long Charlotte had dreamt of nothing else but to travel to the Fire Nation and train there.

She pulled out the scroll from her bag and read it for what seemed to be the thousandth time. She had sent a letter to a famous firebending master she had heard of and had been accepted. He had been named after a great-uncle of his, Master Kunyo, who used to live in Republic City, or as it had been known back then, Yu Dao. He was quite famous in the Fire Nation. Charlotte had also heard that his great-uncle used to teach a former Fire Princess, Azula, but she had been a sadistic child and preferred her arms to be farther apart in one of the techniques, insisting that she could produce larger fire blasts and Master Kunyo had told her off and Prince Ozai had sent him to the colonies.

Charlotte was practically dancing around her room in delight. She couldn't stop thinking about what was to come. Could she finally master lightning generation? And expand her knowledge and skills in firebending? She was quite excellent herself, but there was always something more to learn.

The ship finally docked after what seemed like a hundred years, and Charlotte alighted, taking in the sights around her. The last time she had been to the Fire Nation was many years back, and she could hardly remember anything about it. Her father had been skeptical about her going to the Fire Nation at first, though it could be due to the fact that he was a non-bender and perhaps didn't truly understand such passions. Her mother, who was a firebender as well was all too ready to send her off.

There were not many Satomobiles and less roads, but some progress and modernisation was obvious, though, from the pictures Charlotte had seen in history books. The traditional Fire Nation houses still stood, and the people were still dressed traditionally. Perhaps they preferred to maintain their traditional culture and heritage. Charlotte breathed the aroma of Fire Nation cuisine wafting from the restaurants that lined the streets and watched as Fire Nation children ran around, playing happily with each other.

Charlotte decided to stop at a restaurant and have lunch; a bowl of noodle soup, which tasted so much better than the Flameo instant noodles they had back in Republic City, and the komodo chicken. Of course, there were Fire Nation restaurants in Republic City, but they weren't as good, and some of them weren't even run by firebenders or Fire Nation citizens, but the citizens of other nations who happened to have learnt the recipes.

Once she was finished, Charlotte hurried to the address of the dojo of the firebending master she was supposed to meet. It was yet another traditional Fire Nation building, and as Charlotte stood outside, she could hear the shouts of children and the 'fwoosh' and 'fwoom' of flames being released. At intervals, she could hear an adult yelling out instructions, who could only be the master. Charlotte knocked on the door before entering.

Three children dressed in their uniforms and in their stances, along with the master, a tall, aging man, clad in Fire Nation robes were in the dojo. Charlotte greeted the master with the traditional Fire Nation salute, and handed him the letter. He read through it and nodded as Charlotte went to a corner and began doing warm-ups, with the kids eying her curiously. She looked pretty intimidating to them, but firebending children were not easily intimidated. Charlotte ignored them. Once she was done with her warm-ups, the kids were all about to leave, marking the end of their training session for that day. Charlotte then proceeded to show Master Kunyo what she could do.

#

Naomi glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her mind traveled back to the events beneath the Sato mansion. Amon was growing stronger than ever, and Naomi was supposed to be rejoicing, but she was filled with worry. She was afraid Amon somehow knew she was a bender. What would happen if it was revealed? How could she face her fellow Equalists? Would Amon rid her of her bending there and then? That seemed likely. Perhaps it would be better that way, to have her bending taken away, so she would no longer live with something as horrible as it, but then it would also mean being eliminated from the Equalists.

Naomi got up and began pacing. She hadn't firebent in a long time; she was definitely rusty. A spark of hope ignited within her. Perhaps if she stopped bending long enough, it would just fade on its own? The thought cheered Naomi up. There were times as well, when she almost forgot she was a bender.

Naomi took a deep breath to calm herself down. Her thoughts wandered over to a historical figure, a former Fire Nation Princess, Azula. Naomi almost laughed out loud as she couldn't help thinking she was heading in the same direction as the princess, whom, according to the history books, experienced a mental breakdown after an Agni Kai with her brother, the former Firelord Zuko. But it wasn't as easy to break her.

The firebender reached out and turned on the radio. It was getting a little too quiet in the house. A jazzy, melancholy tune began to play and Naomi was about to shut it off when there was a burst of static. A clear voice apologised for the interruption and after another crackle, Chief Saikhan's voice emanated from the speakers.

Naomi lowered her outstretched hand as she listened to the speech, live from the police headquarters. Her eyes narrowed upon hearing that all matters concerning the Equalists was to be directly passed on to Councilman Tarrlok. There was one thing Naomi actually agreed with Avatar Korra. Both disliked the councilman. And Naomi had no doubt that Tarrlok had used an illegal method this time round to get Chief Saikhan on his side.

#

The sky was darkening as the two bandits raced through the streets, trying to outrun each other. Not only was it fun, it helped improve their stamina and at the same time, they could just swipe at the pockets of those they passed by. They were so quick, no one even noticed. At intervals, they would knock someone down on purpose, pretended it was an accident and stealthily rob them as they offer assistance before racing off again. They were not the only ones; after Saikhan became the new chief, there were hardly any police officers patrolling the city. Everywhere was on high alert, yet there were still people who hung about, mostly non-benders who were not yet part of the Equalists and daredevil benders. Almost all police officers were constantly keeping an eye out for Equalist activity and those looking out for bandits were usually new recruits who could be easily defeated with a kick to the shin.

Just then, a roar could be heard coming from the next street. Sigil and Senka changed course, curious. They skidded to a stop by the side of the street as a whole parade of Equalists on their bikes zoomed past. A moment later, a non-Equalist vehicle joined them, seeming to be after them. It was not a police vehicle, the two bandits observed. As it raced past them, both caught a fleeting glimpse of a gorgeous lady with silky black curls.

"Asami Sato!" breathed Sigil. "Avatar Korra and the other two Fire Ferrets are probably in there with them, too!"

"And does it matter?" Senka spat. "Let them beat the crap out of those Equalists, I'm not interested."

Sigil grabbed Senka's hand. "Come on! Whenever Avatar Korra is around, there's sure to be some action! And a golden opportunity for us!" He grinned sadistically.

Senka's eyes glinted.

To stay hidden, they zoomed along the next street, riding on ice, following the sounds of the vehicles. Senka had never had so much fun waterbending. Perhaps it wasn't so bad after all. And travelling on ice beat riding a vehicle. Who needed the skill anyway, when you had such bending powers? She threw a quick look over her shoulder to ensure that the ice was melting fast. Wouldn't want anyone to pick up on their trail.

"Wow, did you hear that?" yelled Sigil over the sound of the wind. "Sounds like the car got thrown skywards and went plummeting down and struck terra firma!"

"My guess is an earthbending ramp," Senka said, but she wasn't sure if Sigil could hear her. She could barely hear herself as the wind roared in her ears. However, there was no mistaking what the next sound was. Lightning. It was probably Mako, that firebender. Equalists couldn't generate lightning from afar.

More sounds of the earth and a bike crashed. Senka followed the sound of the car, which suddenly seemed to fade. "They took a turn!" she said, changing the course of the ice. They zoomed round a corner and caught another glimpse of the Satomobile racing off in the distance. Senka turned into the next street and raced along. Then it hit Senka what they were about to do, and a moment later, there was a crash followed by sounds of a fight. "Do you still want to do this?" Senka called out to her companion, who was masterfully skating along.

"Of course!" he called back.

There was another crash, a very loud one, and Senka halted. Sigil slid straight into her and they both fell into a heap, quickly getting up and brushing themselves off before hurrying to a nearby building, around which they peeked to see what had happened. The lorry of Equalists had been turned over onto its side and was a wreckage not far off from the Satomobile which the Avatar and her three companions were getting out of.

"We should hand things over to the police," said the firebender, Mako.

"Should we leave?" Senka asked.

"Not yet. Let's see what happens," Sigil said.

The police and the media arrived soon enough. Photographs were snapped and the two bandits were certain they would make the headlines.

"Avatar Korra, what do you think you're doing?"

"That's Councilman Tarrlok! Should we leave now?" asked Senka.

"Are you afraid?" Sigil asked.

"No." She turned back to the scene where Avatar Korra and Councilman Tarrlok were having a conversation; though it seemed more like Korra was continuously mocking the councilman, judging from the look on his face. The two bandits had heard Chief Saikhan's speech earlier that morning, having been there, and they could tell Tarrlok was displeased and wanted to be in control of these Equalists businesses.

"This is your last warning. Stay out of my way!" Tarrlok commanded the Avatar before turning and walking off.

"Such a loser," Senka stated, before turning to face Sigil. "So, what did we get? Nothing, eh? So much for following the Avatar around!"

"Can't you just sit back and enjoy the show?" responded the 17- year old. "I'm betting one day more before Tarrlok blows and Avatar Korra faces his wrath."


End file.
